Lotus to stop production of US-spec Elise/Exige

According to a recent report from autoblog, sports carmaker Lotus will cease production of its North American-spec Elise and Exige models in August.

Problem comes from Elise/Exige standard safety equipment – it doesn’t provide any “smart” airbags – while the U.S. government said that all new vehicles must come equipped with “smart” airbags.

However, on Thursday the company said that production for the UK and the rest of Europe will continue with the new 1.6-liter four cylinders until the next Elise arrives in 2015.

In other news, Lotus CEO Dany Bahar said last week that the mid-engined 450bhp V6 model was “too close” to the new Esprit and the four-seater would not appear until towards the end of its five-year plan.
Now the entire capacity and funds for the delayed Elan will be used for the new engine family, which could include a 4-cylinder variant for basic models.